Hirono × Le Petit Prince Series: Complete Collector Guide

HIRONO × Le Petit Prince brings together two characters who look at adulthood from the outside. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Little Prince asks direct questions that grown-ups struggle to answer; Lang’s HIRONO carries feelings that people often struggle to say. The result is more than a costume crossover. Each figure restages a person or symbol from the novel through HIRONO’s tired eyes, guarded body language and emotional ambiguity.

This complete guide explains the collaboration’s design background, every regular character, the Fox, the Pilot secret and the super-secret Little Prince. You can view the available options on the HIRONO × Le Petit Prince product page and browse other releases in our HIRONO collection.

Why HIRONO and The Little Prince Belong Together

The Little Prince was written and illustrated by French aviator and author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Beneath its storybook surface, it explores friendship, responsibility, loneliness, loss and the strange priorities of adults. The official Le Petit Prince website describes a universe built around the Prince, his Rose, the Fox and the encounters that transform his journey.

HIRONO was created by Chinese artist Lang, also known as Xuan Yilang. Lang has said the character began while he imagined a gift for his soon-to-be-born child, then grew into an expression of personal memories and complicated emotions. In an interview about his creative process, Lang noted that a story-driven collaboration such as The Little Prince requires him to work through each character individually. That care is visible here: HIRONO does not merely wear recognizable outfits; his expression changes how we read each encounter.

Both worlds protect childhood perception without pretending childhood is painless. The Prince’s openness makes adult absurdities visible. HIRONO’s melancholy makes quiet fear and resistance visible. For more creator background, read What Is HIRONO?, SPOT’s interview with Lang and The Korea Times profile of Lang.

Series Facts

• Format: 12 non-repeating regular blind-box slots, with secret possibilities
• Approximate height: 8–12 cm
• Materials: PVC, ABS, hardware and magnet components depending on the figure
• Regular and chase designs: the lineup includes story characters, the Fox, a Pilot secret and a super-secret Little Prince interpretation
• Super-secret odds: product information lists the super-secret Little Prince at approximately 1 in 144

POP MART’s regional official product listing provides the size, material and set-format specifications. Exact availability and packaging can vary by market.

Every HIRONO × Le Petit Prince Character Explained

The Little Prince

The central figure represents curiosity, sincerity and the ability to see value where adults see only numbers or appearances. HIRONO’s expression gives the Prince a heavier awareness of departure and responsibility. He is not simply innocent; he is learning that loving a person, a place or a Rose can make leaving painful.

The Rose

The Rose is beautiful, proud, demanding and fragile. Her importance comes not from being the only rose in existence, but from the time and attention the Prince has given her. HIRONO’s Rose design therefore speaks to imperfect love: affection mixed with misunderstanding, vanity, protection and responsibility.

The King

On the first small planet, the King imagines himself ruler of everything, yet he needs a subject for his authority to have meaning. The character gently exposes power that rearranges reality to preserve its own image. Through HIRONO, the costume can feel both grand and lonely.

The Conceited Man

The Conceited Man wants admiration more than relationship. He hears praise but not genuine conversation. In collectible form, the elaborate presentation contrasts with HIRONO’s emotionally distant face, turning the design into a study of the gap between being noticed and being known.

The Tippler

The Tippler is trapped in a short, sad cycle: he drinks to forget the shame of drinking. The episode is brief, but its logic is painfully adult. HIRONO’s visual language suits this character because it can communicate avoidance and embarrassment without exaggerating them into comedy.

The Businessman

The Businessman counts stars and claims ownership through arithmetic. He is too busy recording value to experience wonder. For collectors, the figure can symbolize the danger of turning every passion—including collecting—into pure quantity, rarity or resale calculation instead of personal meaning.

The Lamplighter

The Lamplighter follows an increasingly impossible order to light and extinguish his lamp as the tiny planet spins faster. The Prince respects him more than the other adults because his work is not only about himself. The design represents duty, exhaustion and the dignity of caring for a light even when the routine no longer makes sense.

The Geographer

The Geographer records mountains, rivers and oceans but does not explore them personally. He depends on explorers and treats the Rose as too temporary to record. His scene raises a question relevant to collectors and readers alike: is knowing the catalog the same as experiencing the world?

The Switchman

The Switchman sorts trains full of rushing passengers who rarely understand what they are seeking. Children, he observes, pay closer attention to what is near them. HIRONO’s version highlights motion without direction—the modern feeling of being constantly busy while remaining emotionally stationary.

The Merchant

The Merchant sells pills designed to save the time people would otherwise spend drinking water. The Prince would rather use that time to walk slowly toward a spring. The figure contrasts efficiency with lived experience: saving minutes means little if we forget what those minutes are for.

The Snake

The Snake is one of the book’s most ambiguous presences. It offers a way back but is also linked to mortality, departure and transformation. A HIRONO interpretation naturally preserves that uncertainty; the design need not tell us whether the Snake is helper, threat or threshold.

The Fox

The Fox teaches the Prince that a bond is created through time, patience and repeated presence. “Taming” does not mean control; it means becoming unique to one another and accepting responsibility for that connection. The Fox is therefore a favorite for friendship displays and meaningful gifts. The official Le Petit Prince site frequently identifies the Prince, Rose and Fox as the story’s emblematic trio, including in its licensed character features.

The Pilot — Secret

The Pilot is the narrator and Saint-Exupéry’s bridge between adult life and recovered imagination. Stranded in the desert, he first treats the Prince as an interruption, then learns to listen. Making the Pilot a secret is thematically fitting: the adult capable of seeing again is present, but harder to find.

The Little Prince — Super Secret

The super-secret design offers an alternate, especially rare interpretation of the Prince. Its chase status should be treated as a collecting mechanic rather than proof that it is emotionally “better” than the regular designs. The figure you connect with most may be a regular character whose story reflects your own experience.

What the Collection Says About Adulthood

Placed together, the figures form a progression. The Prince leaves a difficult love, meets adults reduced to one habit—commanding, seeking praise, avoiding shame, counting, obeying or recording—and eventually learns from the Fox that meaning grows through relationship. HIRONO adds another layer: his weary face suggests a child who already senses the cost of these lessons.

This is why the series works well beyond literary nostalgia. It asks collectors to look at their own habits. Do we count what we own like the Businessman? Rush like the train passengers? Follow routines like the Lamplighter? Or make time to care for a Rose and sit patiently with a Fox? Those questions give the display substance even when the viewer does not chase every rare design.

How to Build a Meaningful Display

A story-order arrangement begins with the Little Prince and Rose, moves through the planetary adults, then places the Switchman, Merchant, Snake and Fox near the end. The Pilot can stand outside the line as narrator. A relationship-focused display can group the Prince, Rose and Fox together, while a darker adult-world shelf can use the King, Conceited Man, Tippler and Businessman.

Keep figures away from long periods of direct sunlight and high heat. Dust with a soft, dry brush and avoid alcohol or harsh cleaners on painted PVC, hardware and magnet areas. If you collect HIRONO for emotional rather than literary themes, compare this set with the inward-looking HIRONO Echo Series and transformation-focused HIRONO Reshape Series.

Single Box, Whole Set or Opened Character?

Choose a single sealed box if surprise is part of the experience. Choose a sealed whole set if you want the regular story sequence with fewer duplicate concerns. Choose an identified or opened character when the meaning matters more than the unboxing—for example, the Fox for a close friend or the Rose for a partner. A whole set does not guarantee either secret. Verify whether the listing is sealed, opened for identification or sold as a specific variant before purchase.

For a general explanation of formats, visit our POP MART beginner’s guide. For larger HIRONO pieces, see the Dino Plush Pendant and Elephant Slide Sculpture guide.

FAQ

How many characters are in HIRONO × Le Petit Prince?

The collection uses 12 regular blind-box slots and includes chase designs such as the Pilot secret and an alternate super-secret Little Prince. The available character options also include the Fox. Check the current product page because sealed, opened and named-character options can differ.

What are the super-secret Little Prince odds?

The product information lists the super-secret Little Prince at approximately 1 in 144. Odds describe probability, not a guarantee, and buying multiple boxes can still produce duplicates.

Do I need to read the book before collecting the figures?

No, but knowing the story makes details such as the Rose, Fox, Lamplighter and Businessman much more meaningful. The official Le Petit Prince site is a useful starting point for the work’s history and universe.

Which figure is best as a gift?

The Fox suits friendship and connection; the Rose suits love and responsibility; the Little Prince suits curiosity and new journeys. A named, identified option is safer than a sealed blind box when the recipient has a specific favorite.

Is the collection suitable for children?

It is designed as a collectible, not a young child’s toy. POP MART’s listing states that it is not suitable for anyone under 15, and the figures may include small parts, hardware and magnets.

Sources and Further Reading

• POP MART: Official HIRONO × Le Petit Prince product details
• Le Petit Prince: Official website
• Le Petit Prince: Official overview of iconic characters
• SPOT: Interview with Lang about HIRONO and the collaboration
• The Korea Times: Lang and HIRONO’s emotional identity